Endoscope image pickup unit for picking up magnified images of an object, a focus adjustment apparatus and method, and a focus range check apparatus and method for the same

ABSTRACT

An endoscope image pickup unit is disclosed that captures magnified images of an object. An objective optical system of the image pickup unit includes, in order from the object side, a front lens group having positive refractive power and an aperture stop. Various conditions are satisfied so as to provide an observation scale factor in the range of about 200 to 2000 so that cellular details can be observed, as in a microscope, while keeping the objective optical system sufficiently compact for insertion within a patient. Also disclosed is a focus adjustment apparatus and method for the endoscope image pickup unit, and a focus range check apparatus and method for the endoscope image pickup unit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of foreign priority from JapanesePatent Application No. 2003-091080, filed Mar. 28, 2003, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional endoscopes have a large field angle between 90° and 140° sothat tissues inside the body can be observed without overlookinglesions, and they change the distance to the object in order to obtainenlarged or reduced images of an object to be observed. Thus, they aredesigned so as to have a large depth of field so that objects at adistance between 3 mm and 50 mm can be observed without focusadjustment, and they have an observation scale factor of approximately30 to 50 when viewed on a 14 inch monitor screen, which is sufficient toobserve diseased tissues.

In order to obtain additional magnification, zoom optical systems havebeen used with conventional endoscopes. The largest observation scalefactor obtained with zoom optical systems is approximately 70 whenviewed on a 14 inch monitor screen. The zoom optical system has abuilt-in zoom lens driving mechanism, and as a result, the endoscope hasan insert tip with an outer diameter greater than 10 mm and requirescomplex operations. Such an endoscope has limited applications.

When an abnormality is difficult to diagnose by observation of tissueimages, such as when a lesion is very small, suspicious tissues aregenerally excised using a therapeutic instrument in the course of anendoscopic observation. The excised tissues are then examined under amicroscope.

An endoscope uses incident light illumination from an illuminationoptical system that is positioned around the objective optical system. Amicroscope uses an objective optical system and an illumination opticalsystem that usually are positioned on opposite sides of the sample, withthe sample usually being illuminated from the back (i.e., transmissionlight illumination is usually used). The sample will have beenpreviously appropriately processed for observation. For example, it willhave been thinly sliced so that it transmits light well. Often, thesample also will have been stained so as to provide images havingimproved contrast.

Laser-scanning-type, confocal endoscopes have been proposed that can beinserted into a living body and which have resolutions sufficient forcellular observation. There exist confocal optical systems which have apinhole that passes light in an Airy disc light pattern, with thepinhole being positioned at a conjugate position to the image plane.Such optical systems acquire information of a diffraction-limited levelfor each point of an object surface in a field of view. A laser beamfrom an illumination optical system scans the object, and informationobtained from light reflected by each point of the object surface iscombined so as to produce an image representing either two-dimensionalor three-dimensional information. Where three-dimensional information isobtained, high resolution is realized not only within a planar surfacebut also in the depth direction.

Conventional endoscopes require a wide field of view and have an imagepickup unit that includes an image pickup element and an objectiveoptical system having an image scale factor smaller than unity. Thus,object images are formed onto the image pickup surface of the imagepickup unit in reduced size. Further, in order to assure an appropriatedepth of field for observation, conventional endoscopes require apositional adjustment during assembly of the image pickup unit in whichthe image pickup surface of the image pickup element is fixed near theimage plane of the objective optical system.

FIG. 1 shows the range of focus on the object side and on the image sidefor a conventional endoscope. In a conventional endoscope, the objectiveoptical system projects the relative positional change between theobject and the object-side leading surface of the objective opticalsystem onto the image side at a reduced size. Therefore, it is somewhatdifficult to find the best in-focus position since a small deviationfrom the best in-focus position corresponds to a large difference inobject position that causes a de-focused state. In order to avoid thisdifficulty, the adjustment method illustrated in FIG. 1 isconventionally used. FIG. 1 shows the upper and lower limits ZoA andZoB, respectively, in object space of an optical system having a desireddepth of field (for example, at distances of 3 mm and 50 mm from theobject-side leading surface of the objective optical system). The twocorresponding images ZmA, ZmB are then formed as illustrated in reducedsize and spacing. The mean position between the image-space positionsZmA and ZmB is determined, and the image pickup surface of the imagepickup element is moved along the optical axis of the objective opticalsystem in order to coincide with this mean position so as to achieve theoptimum in-focus adjustment.

For a conventional endoscope, the image of an object will be formed bythe objective optical system onto the image pickup surface of the imagepickup element in reduced size even when the object is inclined relativeto the objective optical system. Therefore, even when the object isinclined relative to the objective optical system, images on the imagepickup surface will not be significantly asymmetric near the peripheryof the field of view, and the captured image will not be subject toexcessively unbalanced image aberrations. Thus, for focus adjustment ofthe image pickup unit of a conventional endoscope, excellent images canbe obtained simply by ensuring mechanical accuracy of the focusadjustment apparatus.

On the other hand, a microscope has an objective optical system with animage scale factor having an absolute value greater than unity so as toform an image of an object that is enlarged in size. This also resultsin the depth of field on the object side being projected into imagespace with magnification. Therefore when focusing, a microscope commonlymoves the stage on which the object is fixed rather than changing theposition at which the image is observed.

As mentioned above, an objective optical system having an image scalefactor with an absolute value greater than unity projects the relativepositional change between the object and the object-side leading surfaceof the objective optical system onto the image side with magnification.Therefore, even when the image pickup surface of the image pickupelement is positioned at the image plane of the objective opticalsystem, the image on the image pickup surface will be significantlyasymmetric near the periphery of the field of view when an object hasits surface normal substantially inclined to the optical axis of theobjective optical system. Such inclination causes the object surface tooccupy significant depth in object space and causes adverse effects onthe picked-up image with regard to balance of the aberrations. Thus, asample for observation must be properly oriented on the microscope stageand the microscope stage on which the sample is fixed must be preciselyadjusted relative to the objective optical system.

For the conventional way in which living tissues are removed andexamined ex vivo, it takes from several days to several weeks toidentity abnormal tissues. In addition, the cell sample that is isolatedand fixed to be observed is only a tiny part of a removed tissue. Thus,although conventional ex vivo observation provides information oncellular structures, no functional information such as the fluidcirculation within cells is provided because the circumstances arecompletely different from those of in vivo examination.

A small-sized image pickup unit with an objective optical system havinga large scale factor comparable to that of a microscope and which has ahigh resolution is necessary in order to form clear cellular images of alesion within a living body. The objective optical system used inconventional endoscopes does not meet such requirements. The objectiveoptical system used in microscopes is satisfactory in performance, butis too large in diameter for insertion into a living body. Heretofore,no image pickup unit has been proposed that meets the above-discussedrequirements. Laser-scanning-type, confocal endoscopes have a problem inthat, at their present state of development, their scanning speed is tooslow for providing in vivo, real-time observations. In addition, withina living body, an object cannot be fixed in a position where theobjective optical system is accurately focused, as is possible whenobserving an excised sample using a microscope. Therefore, with theimage pickup units, the image pickup surface of the image pickup elementshould be pre-adjusted to a fixed position that is suitable for in vivocellular observation.

When image pickup units as discussed above are focused in the samemanner as with a conventional endoscope, the following problems arise.

1) The objective optical system will have a significantly smaller depthof field and the relative positional change between the object and theobject-side surface of the objective optical system will be projectedonto the image side so as to be magnified in size. Thus, in order toadjust the position of the image pickup surface accurately, it isnecessary to place the object used for focus adjustment with a precisionand accuracy smaller than a micron (i.e., in sub-microns). This makesthe focus adjustment difficult to reproduce consistently.

2) Although positioned within the mechanical accuracy of the focusadjustment apparatus, if an object surface is oriented so that itssurface normal is significantly inclined to the optical axis of theobjective optical system, the image on the image pickup surface of theimage pickup element will be asymmetric near the periphery of the fieldof view, causing noticeable adverse effects on the captured images(i.e., the asymmetry itself causes the adverse effects).

3) An endoscope that is designed for use with its object-side surface ofthe objective optical system in contact with the object for observationhas the near point of the depth of field at the objective opticalsystem. Therefore, no object for focus adjustment can be placed at thenear point of the depth of field.

Thus, a new focus adjustment method and a new focus range checkingmethod are needed for magnifying endoscopes that allow in vivo,real-time, magnified observation of intact living cells.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an image pickup unit that capturesmagnified images for in vivo observation, and in particular relates to amagnifying image pickup unit having a scale factor suitable for cellularobservation, a focus adjustment method and apparatus for the magnifyingimage pickup unit, and a focus range check method and apparatus for themagnifying image pickup unit. The purposes of the present invention areto provide an image pickup unit that realizes in vivo, real-timecellular observation, to provide a focus adjustment method and apparatusfor the image pickup unit, and to provide a focus range check method andapparatus for the image pickup unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given below and the accompanying drawings, whichare given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of thepresent invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an objective optical system and imagepickup element for illustrating focus adjustment in a conventionalendoscope;

FIG. 2 shows an example of one configuration of the focus adjustmentapparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 3(a) illustrates a contrast chart object having an alternateblack/white band pattern, and FIG. 3(b) shows the image signals that areobtained from an image pickup element after scanning such an object inthe direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3(a);

FIG. 4 is a graphical representation in which the contrast obtained bythe method illustrated in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) is plotted for variousaxial positions of the image pickup surface of the image pickup element,with the image pickup element being in-focus at the position zm0.

FIG. 5 shows the variation in contrast relative to the object distancein the situation where the contrast is not balanced on each side of thein-focus position;

FIG. 6 shows the variation in contrast relative to the object distancein the situation where a more balanced focus adjustment is obtained oneach side of the in-focus position;

FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) show the endoscope image pickup unit according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention, with FIG. 7(a) being a lengthcross section and FIG. 7(b) being an end view as viewed in the directionindicated by the arrow A in FIG. 7(a);

FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) show the endoscope image pickup unit according toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention, with FIG. 8(a) being a lengthcross section and FIG. 8(b) being an end view as viewed in the directionindicated by the arrow A in FIG. 8(a); and

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the focus adjustment method (steps S1 throughS12), the focus range determining method (steps S21 through S26), andthe focus correction (step S31).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The image pickup unit of the present invention includes an endoscopeimage pickup unit that is provided with an objective optical system thatforms magnified images (i.e., has an image scale factor with an absolutevalue greater than unity) wherein the objective optical system includes,in order from the object side, a front lens group having positiverefractive power and an aperture stop. The following conditions arepreferably satisfied:0.9≦|cos wy′/cos wy|≦1.1  Condition (1)0.2≦Φ1/(Φ2·f1)≦2  Condition (2)where

wy′ is the angle at which the chief ray corresponding to the largesthalf-field angle is incident onto the image pickup surface,

wy is the half-field angle of a ray incident onto the image pickupsurface;

Φ1 is the diameter of the aperture stop,

Φ2 is the maximum outer diameter of the objective optical system, and

-   -   f1 is the focal length of the front lens group.

When the upper limit of Condition (1) above is not satisfied, the fieldangle will be too large, resulting in failure to ensure a required scalefactor. When the lower limit of Condition (1) above is not satisfied,the angle of incidence onto the image pickup element will be too large,resulting in failure to maintain uniform image qualities (for example,color reproduction and brightness) within the field of view.

It is desirable that the magnifying endoscope has a maximum outerdiameter of less than 4 mm in order to insert it into the treatment toolinsert channel of a conventional endoscope. Accordingly, it is alsodesirable that the objective optical system be compact with a maximumouter diameter of less than 2 mm. The small-sized objective opticalsystem having a large scale factor and a high resolution comprises, fromthe object side, a lens group having positive refractive power and anaperture stop, and desirably satisfies the above Condition (2). Thelower limit of Condition (2) prevents the objective optical system fromhaving a larger aperture in association with a larger numericalaperture, i.e., this condition ensures compactness. Thus, when the lowerlimit of Condition (2) is not satisfied, the objective optical systemwill have both a larger total length and a larger outer diameter,resulting in it not being compact. When the upper limit of Condition (2)is not satisfied, aberrations are difficult to correct.

In addition, in order to obtain a high contrast along with clear images,the objective optical system needs to have a resolution that is higherthan the pixel pitch of the image pickup element and lower than thediffraction limit of the objective optical system. Preferably, thefollowing Condition (3) is satisfied:0.1≦|p·NA ²/(0.61·λ·β₀)|≦0.8  Condition (3)where

p is the pixel size of the image pickup element,

NA is the numerical aperture,

λ is the wavelength at the e-line (546.1 nm), and

βo is the image scale factor of the objective optical system.

When the lower limit of Condition (3) is not satisfied, sufficientcontrast will not be obtained. When the upper limit of Condition (3) isnot satisfied, aberrations become difficult to correct, making itimpossible to obtain fine images.

The focus adjustment method for the image pickup unit of the presentinvention is for an image pickup unit that includes an image pickupelement and an objective optical system having an image scale factorwith an absolute value greater than unity. The focus adjustment methodfor the image pickup unit of the present invention preferably includesthe following steps, performed in the indicated order:

(a) fixing an object at a specified distance from the object-sideleading surface of the objective optical system as the referenceposition;

(b) moving the image pickup element along the optical axis of theobjective optical system to detect at least two image pickup surfacepositions of the image pickup element at which the object image has adesired (predetermined) contrast value; and

(c) obtaining, based on the two image pickup surface positions, theposition of the image pickup element at which the object image has thelargest contrast.

In addition, the focus adjustment method according to the presentinvention may preferably further comprise the following step:

(d) detecting the orientation of the object using interference patternsof light reflected by the object-side leading surface of the objectiveoptical system and the object so as to determine the object referenceposition for focus adjustment.

Furthermore, the step (a) preferably includes a step in which thedistance of the position at which the object is placed from the frontend surface of the objective optical system is measured within aprecision and accuracy smaller than a micron (i.e., in sub-microns)before the object is actually set at such a position. Otherwise, thestep (a) preferably includes a step in which an appropriate number ofspacer(s), each of which has a thickness set within an accuracy of lessthan a micron, is placed on the front end surface of the objectiveoptical system in order to determine the position where the object isplaced.

The focus adjustment apparatus preferably includes an object supportingpart capable of supporting an object at a specified distance from themost object-side surface of the objective optical system, a movablestage having a support member for fixing the image pickup element on themoveable stage, and a data processing unit which calculates the contrastof images formed on the image pickup surface and detects the twopositions of the image pickup element at which the object image has thepredetermined contrast value and, using these two detected positions,calculates the position of the image pickup surface at which the objectimage has the largest contrast. The movable stage is movable along theoptical axis of the objective optical system at least between twopositions where two images formed on the image pickup surface of theimage pickup element by the objective optical system have apredetermined contrast value.

The apparatus for determining the range of focus for an image pickupunit of an endoscope includes: a first stage having a support member forsupporting the image pickup unit at a fixed position; a second stagehaving a support member for supporting an object, with the second stagebeing movable at least between a position where the object contacts themost object-side surface of the objective optical system and a positionwhere an image of the object formed on an image pickup surface of theimage pickup element by the objective optical system has a predeterminedcontrast value; and a detector that is capable of detecting the positionof the object along the optical axis.

The method of determining the range of focus for an image pickup unit ofan endoscope includes the steps of:

(a) making a contrast chart object come in contact with the object-sidesurface of the objective optical system;

(b) moving the contrast chart object along the optical axis of theobjective optical system until images formed on an image pickup surfaceof the image pickup element have a predetermined contrast value; and

(c) detecting the position of the contrast chart object along theoptical axis where the predetermined contrast value is achieved.

An image pickup unit according to the present invention is provided withan image pickup element and an objective optical system that forms amagnified image of an object such that the absolute value of the imagescale factor is greater than unity. The focus of the objective opticalsystem is adjusted using the method described previously.

A conventional endoscope having a wide field of view is used forthorough examination of tissues in the body (i.e., so that no tissuesare overlooked). For a region that is difficult to diagnose from atissue image, such as a minute lesion, the image pickup unit of thepresent invention is inserted as a magnifying endoscope into the bodythrough the treatment tool insert channel of a conventional endoscope toexamine cellular structures in a given region.

The images observed by conventional endoscopes of parenchyma tissueunder epithelial cells look reddish. Epithelial cells that are observedthrough a magnifying endoscope are transparent and of low contrast,making them difficult to see using conventional endoscopes.

Therefore, coloring agents are often used prior to examining epithelialcells through a magnifying endoscope. This process uses the differencein time required for the cell nuclei, cell wall, and other components toexcrete the coloring agent. This results in improving the contrast withwhich these different cell components may be viewed using a magnifyingendoscope, the tip of which is guided to the region in question andmakes contact with the object while observations using a conventionalendoscope are continued. A tissue image from the conventional endoscopeand a cell image from the magnifying endoscope are then bothsimultaneously displayed on a TV monitor.

For in vivo cellular observation, the objective optical system shouldmeet requirements such as a large image scale factor, a high imageresolution, and a small-size.

First, the scale factor required for visualizing fine cellularstructures will be discussed. If bm is the observation scale factor whenviewing the monitor, then:bm=bo·bd  Equation (A)where

bo is the image scale factor of the objective optical system, which isthe scale factor at which the image of an object is formed on the imagepickup element, and

bd is the scale factor of the display, namely, the monitor displayscreen size divided by the image pickup surface size of the image pickupelement.

Conventional endoscopes realize an observation scale factor of 30 to 50when using a 14 inch monitor. Zoom optical systems having a magnifyingfunction realize an observation scale factor of approximately 70. Anobservation scale factor of approximately 200 to 2000 is necessary forcellular observation. Therefore, it is desired that the observationoptical system satisfies both Condition (1) above and the followingCondition (4):1<|βo|≦10  Condition (4)where

βo is the image scale factor of the objective optical system.

Diseased tissues can be identified with a resolution of millimeters orsub-millimeters. However, cellular observation requires a resolution ofmicrons or sub-microns. In order to form detailed images of atransparent object that provides only a small difference in refractiveindex as well as a low contrast, the interference of light diffractedfrom the object may be advantageously utilized in order to anplify thecontrast. When the interference of diffracted light is utilized, theobjective optical system needs to have a larger numerical aperture NA inorder to collect higher diffraction orders of the diffracted light and,preferably, satisfies the following Condition (5):0.1≦NA≦0.8  Condition (5).

To prevent excessive curvature of field, it is desirable that theobjective optical system be formed of, in order from the object side, afront lens group having positive refractive power, an aperture stop, anda rear lens group having positive refractive power. In addition, thefollowing Condition (6) is preferably satisfied in order to achieve bothcompactness and a large image scale factor:2≦f2/f1≦10  Condition (6)where

f2 is the focal length of the rear lens group, and

f1 is the focal length of the front lens group.

If the lower limit of Condition (6) is not satisfied, the required imagescale factor will not be achieved. If the upper limit of Condition (6)is not satisfied, a larger overall length and a larger outer diameterwill result; thus, compactness will not be achieved.

One example of a focus adjustment apparatus, which also works as a focusrange determination apparatus, will now be described with reference toFIG. 2. In the figure, M is the image pickup unit that is formed of animage sensor unit 2 having an image pickup element 3 and an objectiveoptical system 1. The structure of the image pickup unit M will beexplained in detail later. Reference numeral 4 denotes a base of theapparatus. The base 4 has support members 4 a and 4 b that support theimage pickup unit M, a Z-stage 4 c on which the support member 4 b ismounted for moving the support member 4 b in the Z direction relative tothe support member 4 a, and a Z-stage 4 d on which the support member 4a is mounted for moving the support member 4 a in the Z directionrelative to the support base 4. Further, there are provided: a Y-stage 4e on which an illumination unit 6 is mounted for moving the illuminationunit 6 in the Y direction relative to the base 4; an a goniometer stage4 f and a β goniometer stage 4 g which rotate the Y-stage 4 e in the adirection and in the β direction, respectively, an X-stage 4 h thatmoves the a goniometer stage and the β goniometer stage in the Xdirection relative to the base 4; and a Z-stage 4 i that moves theX-stage 4 h in the Z direction. The Z direction and the Y direction areshown in the figure, and the X direction is a direction perpendicular tothe plane of the figure.

The image pickup unit M is held so that the objective optical unit I issupported by the support member 4 a, the image sensor unit 2 issupported by the support member 4 b and each of which can move and stopalong Z the direction for focus adjustment. A micro-sensor 9 obtains thepositional information of the image pickup element in sub-microns.

An object 5 used for focus adjustment is illuminated by an illuminationunit 6 from the back, and fixed to the base 4 in a manner so that it canbe adjusted and fixed relative to the objective optical system 1 in thedirections XYZ, α and β The illumination unit 6 is supplied withillumination light by a light source 12. An object image projected onthe image pickup element 3 is signally transformed and transferred to animage signal processing unit 7 where it is transformed into imagesignals, which are then displayed on a monitor 8. The image signalprocessing unit 7 and light source 12 cooperate to control the amount oflight for optimum brightness. An arithmetic processing unit 10calculates the contrast value of the image signals and gives the resulton a monitor 11.

A method for detecting the contrast is shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b).When a transparent sample having an alternate black/white band patternshown in FIG. 3(a) is used as an object, an image signal as shown inFIG. 3(b) is obtained. The figure shows, with the brightness as ordinateand the scanning direction as abscissa, the image signal waveformobtained after spatial brightness signals obtained during the imagingare time-averaged. In this instance, assuming that Imax and Imin are themaximum and minimum, respectively, of the detected waveformcorresponding to the black/white of the object, the contrast I isdefined as follows:I=(Imax−Imin)/(Imax+Imin)  Equation (B).

FIG. 4 is a graphical representation in which the contrast (as definedin Equation (B) above) that is obtained by the method in FIGS. 3(a) and3(b) is plotted on the ordinate as a function of the image pickupelement position. Determining the optimum image position zm0 (i.e., themaximum contrast) by detecting a contrast variation amount Δm1, and thenmeasuring the mean of the positions along the abscissa of the points Zm1and Zm1′ is difficult, since the variation in contrast ΔIm1 is small fora given change in abscissa position. Therefore, the points Zm1 and Zm1′are difficult to detect with accuracy, leading to errors in computingthe optimum position zm0.

However, if the optimum image position zm0 is instead determined bydetecting a contrast variation ΔIm2 by determining the mean of thepoints zm2 and zm2′, the optimum image position zm0 may be calculatedwith increased accuracy, since the variation in contrast is higher atthe points zm2, zm2′ for a given change in the image pickup elementposition. For example, if ΔIm2 is increased, the positions zm2 and zm2′may be detected with higher accuracy. If the ΔIm3 is about 20% (whichmeans the contrast value at the position zm2 and zm2′ is about 0.2 byusing Equation B), the contrast variation ΔIm2 will become large enoughto determine the position zm0 with sufficient accuracy. An opticalsystem that is favorably corrected for spherical aberration has acontrast curve that is symmetric on both sides of the in-focus position.Thus, in an optical system that is favorably corrected for sphericalaberration, the contrast peak may be accurately determined bycalculating the middle point between the positions zm2 and zm2′, therebydetermining the optimum-focus image position zm0.

For an optical system in which the influence of spherical aberration cannot be ignored, the contrast peak will not coincide with the middlepoint between zm2 and zm2′, but instead will be shifted forward orbackward from the middle point. In an optical system having an imagescale factor with an absolute value greater than unity, such as in theimage pickup unit of the present invention, an error on the object side(i.e., the positional deviation between the optimum focus position andthe actual position of the image pickup surface of the image pickupdevice) is projected by the objective optical system onto the image sidesuch that the error is reduced. Thus, resolution within the depth offield of the objective optical system will not be significantlydegraded. If necessary, the depth of field can be evaluated andappropriately corrected, described later.

Two embodiments of the magnifying image pickup unit of the presentinvention will now be described in detail.

EMBODIMENT 1

The structure of Embodiment 1 will now be described with reference toFIG. 7(a). The image pickup unit is formed of an objective unit 101having a uniform diameter within an objective frame 102 and an imagesensor unit. The objective unit 101 consists of, in order from theobject side, a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power, anaperture stop 103, and a second lens group G2 having positive refractivepower. An image pickup element 105 is fixed to an image pickup frame 106via a cover glass 104, forming an image sensor unit.

The image pickup unit is focused by changing the distance 107 betweenthe objective optical system and the image pickup element. The insertsection for the magnifying endoscope is constructed of a hard tip member108 and an outer sheath member 110. The image pickup unit is fixed inthe insert section via an intermediate member 109.

FIG. 7(b) is a cross section as viewed in the direction indicated by thearrow A in FIG. 7(a). The intermediate member 109 has cutouts (shadedparts) on the perimeter, through which an illumination fiber 111 isinserted and fixed. After the intermediate member 109 and illuminationfiber 111 are fixed to the hard tip member 108, the image pickup unit isinserted and fixed.

When adjustment is required, for example in the image scale factor, gapadjustment members 112 a and 112 b provided before and after theaperture stop can be used for more or less space, if necessary. A gapadjustment ring made of ultra-thin plates is used for gap adjustment. Agap adjustment member is formed of a stack of ultra-thin plates. Adifferent number of ultra-thin plates is used during assembly in orderto set the gap to a suitable value according to the dimensionaltolerance of parts actually used.

Table 1 below lists the surface number #, in order from the object side,the radius of curvature R (in mm) of each surface, the on-axis spacing D(in mm) between surfaces, as well as the refractive index N_(d) and theAbbe number ν_(d) (both measured at the d-line (λ=587.6 nm)), and thelens outer diameter (in mm) for each optical surface of the image pickupunit of Embodiment 1. TABLE 1 Lens Outer # R D N_(d) ν_(d) Diameter 1 ∞0.46 1.5183 64.14 1 2  0.84 0.17 1 3 ∞ 0.4 1.7323 54.68 1 4 −0.817 0.051 5  1.353 0.65 1.7323 54.68 1 6 −0.703 0.25 1.7044 30.131 7 −3.804 0.091 8 ∞ (stop) 0.03 1 9 ∞ 0.4 1.5156 75.00 1 10 ∞ 0.2 1 11  1.566 0.4 1.6748.32 1 12 −1.566 0.2 1 13 −0.729 0.3 1.5198 52.43 1 14 ∞ 0.56 1 15 ∞0.4 1.5183 64.14 16 ∞ 0.01 1.5119 63.00 17 ∞ 0.4 1.6138 50.20 18 ∞ 0.011.5220 63.00 19 ∞ 0Distance to object = 0Image height = 0.500

EMBODIMENT 2

FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) show the structure of Embodiment 2. The samereference numbers are used for identical components as in Embodiment 1,and thus further discussion of these components will be omitted.

Table 2 below lists the surface number #, in order from the object side,the radius of curvature R (in mm) of each surface, the on-axis spacing D(in mm) between surfaces, as well as the refractive index N_(d) and theAbbe number ν_(d) (both measured at the d-line (λ=587.6 nm)), and thelens outer diameter (in mm) for each optical surface of the image pickupunit of Embodiment 2. TABLE 2 Lens Outer # R D N_(d) ν_(d) Diameter 1 ∞0.88 1.8882 40.76 1.2 2 −0.703 0.05 1 3 ∞ 0.4 1.5183 64.14 1.2 4 −1.4850.05 1 5  2.085 0.76 1.8081 46.57 1.2 6 −0.703 0.25 1.8126 25.42 1.2 7 ∞0.05 1 8 ∞ (stop) 0.03 1 9 ∞ 0.4 1.5156 75.00 1.2 10 ∞ 0.43 1 11  1.1310.5 1.8395 42.72 1.2 12 −3.127 0.2 1 13 −1.061 0.3 1.8126 25.42 1.2 14 ∞0.2 1 15 −0.592 0.3 1.8081 46.57 1.2 16  2.132 0.77 1.8126 25.42 1.2 17−1.262 0.77 1 18 ∞ 0.4 1.5183 64.14 19 ∞ 0.01 1.5119 63.00 20 ∞ 0.41.6138 50.20 21 ∞ 0.01 1.5220 63.00 22 ∞ 0 1Distance to object = 0Image height = 0.500

Table 3 below lists technical data regarding Embodiments 1 and 2. TABLE3 Embodi- Embodi- item legend unit ment 1 ment 2 Image scale factor βo−2.678847 −6.63 Focal length of front lens group f1 mm 0.765 0.591 Focallength of rear lens group f2 mm 3.476 4.557 Focal length f mm 0.6570.797 Half-field angle wy deg 6.141 3.95 Exit angle of main ray wy¹ deg13.965 6.02 Numerical aperture on object NA 0.2184 0.55 side Stopdiameter Φ1 mm 0.36 0.66 Maximum lens diameter Φ2 mm 1 1.2 Pitch p μm 44 Reference wavelength λ μm 0.546 0.546

Table 4 below lists the Conditions 1-6, as well as the values obtainedfor these conditions by Embodiments 1 and 2. TABLE 4 Condition Embodi-Embodi- No. Condition ment 1 ment 2 1 0.9 ≦ |cos wy¹/cos wy| ≦ 1.1 0.9760.997 2 0.2 ≦ Φ1/(Φ2 · f1) ≦ 2 0.471 0.931 3 0.1 ≦ |p · NA²/(0.61 · λ ·0.215 0.544 β₀) | ≦ 0.8 4 1 < | βo | ≦ 10 2.680 6.630 5 0.1 ≦ NA ≦ 0.80.220 0.550 6 2 ≦ f2/f1 ≦ 10 4.544 7.711

The method as described above enables focus adjustment in which theoptimum image position is detected for an object placed at a specifieddistance. After focus adjustment it is required that the depth of fieldof the objective optical system of the image pickup unit be evaluatedand the distance at which an object is placed for the focus adjustmentbe verified. This can be performed as follows.

FIG. 5 shows the contrast variation relative to the object position. InFIG. 5, the contrast values are plotted for various object distancesafter the image pickup surface of the image pickup element is fixed forbeing in-focus. The contrast is at a peak at zo0 where an object isplaced for focus adjustment and decreases as the object moves away fromthis point. In the figure, the distant 0 means that the object andobject-side leading surface of the objective optical system of the imagepickup unit are in contact and used as the reference position fordetecting the object distance.

With the lower tolerance limit of observable contrast being set for apredetermined value, such as 20%, the object distance at which the lowerlimit is found is detected to obtain the depth of field range of theobjective optical system of the image pickup unit after the focusadjustment. In FIG. 5, the depth of field ranges from 0 to zo1.

The method outlined above is used to verify the focus position. If,following a depth of field verification, the focus range up to zo1 isinsufficient and the contrast at the contact position 0 is above thelower tolerance limit of 20%, the object is moved to the point zo2 thatis farther away from the object-side leading surface of the objectiveoptical system than is the object position zo0 used for the first focusadjustment. Then, the focus adjustment is repeated to obtain thecontrast curve shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the objective optical systemhas a larger depth of field between 0 and zo3. The object position forfocus adjustment is verified and adjusted so that the optimum depth offield is obtained using the method described above.

In addition, if necessary, focus and depth of field are further adjustedby observing an image actually obtained by the image pickup unit. Thisis because the quality of the image depends on, ultimately, the visualsense of a human being. Therefore, it is preferable, in some case, totake into account the human sense in addition to the adjustment by usingan adjustment apparatus, such as described above.

In order to conduct this method, a way to accurately detect the objectposition is required. The focus adjustment and the focus range checkapparatus shown in FIG. 2 is equipped with a micro-sensor 13, either acontact or a non-contact type, in order to accurately detect the objectposition. The micro-sensor detects the position in sub-microns. It ispreferred that an operation circuit be provided for calculating andremoving the mechanical error associated with the fixing and moving ofthe object so as to measure the position of the moving object withaccuracy. A micro-stage or stepping motor can be used for moving theobject if it can be moved in steps that are measured in sub-microns.

When the object-side leading surface of the objective optical system ofthe image pickup unit is used as the reference position for obtainingthe object distance, it is necessary to accurately detect the contactbetween the object and leading surface of the objective optical system.

With the focus adjustment and the focus range check apparatus of thepresent invention, the object may be deformed or inclined relative tothe objective optical system if it is further pressed after contactingthe object-side leading surface of the objective optical system. Inimages observed after the object starts moving toward the leadingsurface of the objective optical system, the object seems to move in anorthogonal direction once contact is made with the leading surface. Inother words, the object seems to move upward/downward or to theright/left relative to the center of the field of view as soon as itstarts deforming or inclining. Detecting such orthogonal movement of atleast a portion of the image of the object results in detecting thepoint of contact between the object and the leading surface of theobjective optical system.

The objective optical system used in the image pickup unit of thepresent invention projects slight inclinations of the object relative tothe objective optical system onto the image side in an enlarged size.Thus, the focus adjustment and focus range check apparatus are providedwith a mechanism for detecting the object orientation and correcting it,if necessary.

For example, the objective optical system of the present invention has avery small depth of field and the object and the object-side leadingsurface of the objective optical system are very near one another. Thus,interference fringes that occur between the object and the object-sideleading surface of the objective optical system when the object lies ina proper orientation can be used for detecting the orientation of theobject. An interference pattern that has been previously recorded iscompared with that of the moving object in order to detect proper objectorientation. In this way, the object is always maintained in a properorientation while the focus adjustment is repeated, and the focusadjustment is performed with excellent reproducibility. As another wayto detect the object orientation, a collimator can be used.

The object inclination relative to the objective optical system can beadjusted by providing goniometer stages 4 f and 4 g, for example, on thepart holding the object.

The method described above improves reproducibility and focus adjustmentaccuracy compared with the conventional focus adjustment method in whichan object is placed at plural distances.

When the objective optical system of the present invention has a verysmall depth of field and the object and the object-side leading surfaceof the objective optical system are very near one-another, themeasurement from the reference position can be omitted. For example, ifthe object should be placed at a distance of several micrometers fromthe reference position, a transparent film having a thickness determinedwithin an accuracy of a less than a micron may be formed on the objectsurface by, for example, a deposition process and then the object may bemade to contact the reference surface. In this way, the object may beplaced at a desired distance with accuracy. Because the thickness of atransparent film can be controlled accurately (within nanometers), sucha procedure provides sufficient accuracy for determination of thedistance between the object and the reference surface.

If the object should be positioned at a distance of several tens ofmicrometers from the reference position, a thin plate having a thicknessthat is accurately determined within micrometers may be inserted betweenthe object and the reference surface. In this way, the object may bepositioned at a desired distance from the object-side leading surfacewith accuracy. An etching process for manufacturing semiconductors, forexample, can be used to control the thickness of the thin plate with anaccuracy within micrometers. Each of these techniques providessufficient accuracy for determining the distance between the object andthe reference surface. In this way, a single element may be used toensure a proper distance between the object and the reference surface,thus improving reproducibility of the focus adjustment.

When a transparent sample having an alternate black/white band patternas shown in FIG. 3(a) is used as the object for focus adjustment, theband should have a width of sub-microns. A desired pattern applied on aglass substrate using an etching process for manufacturingsemiconductors or a diffraction grating also may be used.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the focus adjustment method and the focusrange check method of the present invention.

The focus adjustment method includes the steps S1 through S12, asfollows:

step S1—insert the objective optical system 1 until it contacts theimage sensor unit 2;

step S2—adjust the inclination between both the objective optical system1 and the image sensor unit 2 and fix them to the support member 4 a and4 b with a jig;

step S3—attach the object to the illumination unit 6 and make the objectcontact the object-side leading surface of the objective optical systemby moving the object with the Z-stage 4 i;

step S4—move the image sensor unit 2 with the Z-stage 4 c until theobject as imaged by the objective optical system is in-focus, whileobserving the image and also observing the calculated contrast value bythe processor 7, both of which are displayed on the monitors 8 and 11;

step S5—detect the contact distance between the object 5 and theobjective optical system 1 by the micro-sensor 9, or the contactdistance and inclination between the object 5 and the objective opticalsystem 1 by detecting the interference pattern;

step S6—correct (i.e., adjust) the distance to the object as well as theinclination of the object by using the X-stage 4 h, Y-stage 4 e, Z-stage4 i, and the goniometer stages 4 f and 4 g so that the interferencepattern becomes a desired state;

step S7—set the position of the object as a reference position (originpoint) for adjustment in which the object just begins to contact theleading surface of the objective optical system and memorize theposition using the processor 7;

step S8—move the object to a position apart from the reference positionby a predetermined distance with the Z-stage 4 i;

step S9—move the image sensor unit 2 away from the contact point withthe objective optical system 1 with the Z-stage 4 c;

step S10—detect the contrast that corresponds to the image sensor unitposition;

step S11—obtain the best focus position using the two image pickupsurface positions where a desired contrast is achieved; and

step S12—move the image sensor unit 2 to the best focus position withthe Z-stage 4 c.

The focus range check method includes the steps S21 through S26, asfollows:

step S21—move the object 5 to the object-side leading surface of theobjective optical system 1 (i.e., the origin point) with the Z-stage 4i;

step S22—move the object 5 from the object-side leading surface of theobjective optical system 1 with the Z-stage 4 i while the objectposition is detected, with the contrast that corresponds to the objectposition being displayed on the monitor;

step S23—stop moving the object at the position where the contrast hasthe lower limit value;

step S24—obtain the focus range from the object position;

step S25—verify the focus range; and

step S26—fix and end the process if the focus range is satisfactory.

Focus correction consists of a single step, namely:

step S31—correct the distance at which the object 5 is placed with theZ-stage 4 i.

Following the focus correction step S31, the steps S8-S12, S21-S26 arerepeated. If the focus is still unsatisfactory, the flow loops againback to the step S8 and the steps S8-S12, S21-S26, and S31 are repeated.

The structure and method described above enable a high resolution,magnifying endoscope to be realized with an imaging system having acompact design and a large scale factor. Further, it enables the highresolution, magnifying endoscope to be focused accurately with anoptimum depth of field, which allows for in vivo real-time observationof living cells.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention. Rather, the scopeof the invention shall be defined as set forth in the following claimsand their legal equivalents. All such modifications as would be obviousto one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scopeof the following claims.

1. (canceled)
 2. An image pickup unit for picking up magnified images ofan object, comprising: an objective optical system having an image scalefactor with an absolute value greater than unity and an image pickupelement, wherein the following condition is satisfied0.1≦|p·NA ²/(0.61·λ·β₀)|≦0.8 where p is the pixel size of the imagepickup element, NA is the numerical aperture, λ is the wavelength at thee-line (546.1 nm), and βo is the image scale factor of the objectiveoptical system.
 3. (canceled)
 4. (canceled)
 5. (canceled)
 6. (canceled)7. (canceled)
 8. The image pickup unit according to claim 2, wherein:the objective optical system includes, in order from the object side, afront unit having positive refractive power, an aperture stop and a rearunit having positive refractive power, and the following condition issatisfied2≦f2/f1≦10 where f2 is the focal length of the rear unit, and f1 is thefocal length of the front unit.
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled) 11.(canceled)
 12. (canceled)
 13. (canceled)